Wednesday, October 21, 2015

The new boat, the design and the first piece of ply cut.

Long Steps, the build has begun.

I’ve four frames drawn, the stem, and the spine for the forward section, the mast box and some of the detail around the “cabin”.
The drawing is progressing in my “spare time” as I’ve other jobs to get completed before I’m really free to get on with my own project, but I need a break now and again and wanted to get started on “Long Steps” so the overall timeline does not become impossible.

To give an outline of “the project”.  I have thoughts that as the numbers on my birthday cake are getting alarmingly large, its evident that if I am to have that life defining adventure then I’d best get on with it.
A second motivator was an article in the newspaper last year that described the adventures of a young woman who’d kayaked alone right around New Zealand. It took her a year to cover the distance of around 2100 sea miles, with a few of breaks along the way. What an adventure, she’ll remember that forever.

I’m not quite as ambitious as that, but to get around the North Island is workable.
That’s about 1300 nautical miles, only a little less than the distance  around the British Isles, or the distance from San Diego to Seattle. About, don’t quibble over the odd mile or three.
In an open sail and oar boat. Mostly open anyway.

The circumnavigation of Te Ika a Maui ( North Island of New Zealand)  has some challenges, I’m planning to try local voyages first, and have put a lot of thought into the design,  so, below is a pic of the working drawing.
She’s 5.520 metres long, 1.660 wide, I’d expect a dry weight of around 220 kg.
That’s 18ft 6in x 5 ft 5in x 460 lbs.
Sail area 13.5 sq m / 145 sq ft.



One of the “interesting” things about the planned voyage is that there are at least two long stretches with either bar harbours with prevailing onshore winds or no shelter at all, even in favourable conditions these two stretches of coastline could take up to three days to cover so nights at sea have to be provided for.
Shallow draft is a must, there are some shallow river harbours in some places, but much of the course will be in very open waters, so this is to be essentially a blue water capable boat.

Now I’ve mentioned this to people who’ve banged on about Shackleton and Bligh, but I’m not that tough, so safety, self reliance in emergencies and a modicum of creature comforts are all part of the design brief.

What I’ve done is to take the midsection of the very successful SCAMP design, with its high up bouyancy, sheltered “veranda”, self draining cockpit and water ballast.  The same offset “board” and lying down space is there, along with the massive dry storage that the little boat offers.
This is fitted into a hull shape similar to that of the “Walkabout” design, that boat is very fast under sail, rows well, is easy to right if capsized, and is a very good load carrier.

The ducks and batten marking the curve of the stem.

I started the build today, drew out full sized and cut the stem and spine, cut and glued the doublers around the stem, cut and finished a stack of cleat material and sanded the whole lot so they’re going into the boat almost completely “finished”.

The first cut, thats a Makita 10.6 volt cordless circular saw, nice tool, very accurate, light and easy to use. Its great on plywood up to about 12mm.

The spine, stem, and mast box support will have B#1  B#2 and B#3 slotted over it egg crate style.
The jigsaw is a Makita 4200 BV, I've had it for over 30 years and its done a huge amount of work.
Good machine.  As is the Japanese saw, wouldn't be without either of them.

Doublers cut out, the edges radiused with a router and all glued up. Progress already!

Tomorrow will see B#1 and B#2 cut out, I expect to be putting the whole lot together on the building frame in January, I have to extend the floor in the boatshed, plus have an adventure in the Straights of Magellan which will soak up a few weeks around the end of the year.

Plus I still have to get some work done.

But I’ve started. The boatshed / workshop is not empty any more, the symptoms of empty workshop syndrome are under control again.



20 comments:

  1. Great to see Long Steps, looking very sweet and "just right". Glad you like the little Mikita circular saw. I am just about to buy one so your favourable report helps lots. I have the matching drill driver which I use loads, so only need to buy the saw body, having two batteries and charger already.
    Your being very productive just now John, Terrific. Will watch and enjoy progress. Brian.

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    1. Thanks Brian.
      That little Makita saw takes a little getting used to, mind your blade depth and keep it to the minumum, and the blade speed is lower than you'd expect so it can grab and kick if you are not careful. That said, I like it a lot, use it all the time and would not be without it.
      I get three lengths of a 9mm sheet of ply per charge so I make sure that there is a fresh battery all charged and waiting whenever I'm working with it.

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  2. Looking good John, I'll be following your build with interest.
    Which model Japanese saw is that one?

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    1. Its a double edged razor pull saw from Duckworksmagazine.com
      One side is for cross cut and plywood, one side is a ripsaw.
      Great tools. Highly recommended http://www.duckworksbbs.com/tools/pullsaws/index.htm

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  3. I have owned a West Wight Potter 15 since 1987. I bought it after a 5 year cruise on a 32' Westsail because I wanted both of our kids to learn to sail and Kibitka was way too big (and, anyway, we sold Kibitka because the bowsprit meant we had to pay for a 40' slip for a 32' boat). I've sailed the Potter in protected waters (San Juan Islands, Lake Union, Lake Washington, Moses Lake, and Bahia Concepcion in Baja) but the freeboard has always worried me (especially when the 40' power yachts plow by leaving mini-tsunamis behind them). The Scamp looks perfect but lacks what I thought was needed in a small adventure boat: a place to just go below and sleep without the hassle of boom tents or tarps. You're on the right track here I think. Even better if she'll heave-to easily. :)

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    1. Yes, you'll note that the mizzen is further aft than on Walkabout, thats in part to ensure that she'll sit head to wind when I need her to.
      The interesting part of the design work was working out the distribution of bouyancy and ballast so she'd be really easy to right and board after a capsize. SCAMP does that, the record so far is 13 seconds from mast hitting the water to being back aboard and under way. 30 seconds would be ok for me.

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  4. That looks brilliant, John. At that length and width, she'll be an outstanding adventure/knock-about boat. Like the others are saying "just right."
    Andy

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  5. Did the Olympia WA to San Diego sail in 1999, in a Westsail 32. (And on to La Paz, BCS, Mexico.) Be a bit of a challege to do it in Long Steps, though. You're a braver man than I. I've not been out of Tokyo Bay in my Blue Water 21, though she's perfectly capable of open water. One wonders if I'm not just a scaredy-cat.

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    1. I'm not sure about being "Brave" Charlie, more that I'm bothered about life passing me by while I sit safe and sound but bored, that scares me a lot more than the possibility that I might overstep the mark.

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  6. Hi John, facing the same age challenge as you. I am planning to do the North Island, this summer, Late Feb to April in my 30 foot diesel launch. Really looking forward to it. Do like the look of this new hull which looks very slippery. Reminds me of a scaled up Janette hull I have at Taupo.
    Good luck with the build and the shake down cruises.

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    1. Don, you'd be very welcome if you wanted to call in, there is water enough to anchor just downstream of me and I can offer use of a vehicle if you want to reprovision. As a by the way the diesel in the Gull station at Orakei marina is generally about 10 c a litre cheaper than anywhere else in the area.

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    2. Thank you very much for the invitation John. I will arrange a trip to your hideaway and drop by to see you.

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    3. Shout a week or two ahead Don, I travel quite a bit so a little notice would ensure I'm around when you get here.
      It will be good to see you and compare notes.

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  7. This is another of Johns boats I plan to build for my own future use or as a custom build should anyone want one in the US. But first I go off in a SCAMP for a bit of curiosity voyaging. I have been in discussion with John on Long Steps and believe he is again creating a sound sensible boat for his own voyaging that will end up as a great choice for others.

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    1. Thanks for the complimentary remark Howard. I'll be posting the build here on a regular basis.
      I'm very much looking forward to being a small part of your own adventure, all the best on the day you launch your SCAMP.

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  8. thanks for the great stuff, I am very thankful from heart for the content. I love your information , i love it.

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  9. Skua, my stretched Walkabout, will be going through some major surgery this winter. Daggerboard will be replaced by a of set centreboard. And I will build a cuddy cabin. I will have to follow your drawings, since what you have right here is what I was thinking of. That in combination with a tent similar to the one Howard Rice is using on his scamp. I also want a tabernacle, REALLY want a self draining cockpit (but so far can't think of a satisfying way to do that on the existing boat without losing my leg space from the benches. My stretched walkabout is a great boat. You seem to address most of the things I would want to improve. One thing. I think you might be over canvassed. My walkabout has 80 sf. And I realize she doesn't have water ballast, but still, she's usually loaded as I don't use her unless I overnight. Thing is she will move on a breath of air. I never felt that I was under canvassed. If I don't make 1.3 knots I row. This only happens in such light airs that I don't even think the extra sail will help much, but be a pain in the neck when the wind does pipe up. The boat likes to be sailed upright. Well; you can always cut the sails down a bit should you think that's better...

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    1. You are going to put in dual centerboards? If so, why?

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    2. Never mind, I just reread your post and I see that you are modifying your stretched Walkabout with an offset centerboard. Not a set of centerboards. Good luck with your mods.

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  10. This is so great to see. I am going back to school soon to learn a little bit about boat making. I could not be more thrilled and excited about anything. I have wanted to build my own boat for about a decade now. I did not really have a use for one but now we are moving by lakes.

    Steve Burgess @ Atlanta Yacht Sales

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